James Anderson said Lancashire’s release after 25 years left him in shock and self-doubt
The 44-year-old linked the setback to his England Test exit under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes
Anderson took 50 wickets at an average of 17 in the 2026 County Championship season
James Anderson has admitted he went through spells of self-doubt after Lancashire released him after a record-breaking wicket-taking season, linking the decision to the way his England Test career ended. Anderson said the latest setback left him asking if there was "something wrong with me as a person."
The 44-year-old connected Lancashire’s call with his forced exit from the England Test side after then coach and captain Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes told him he was no longer in their plans. He had just finished a strong county season with his boyhood club.
He represented his boyhood club Lancashire for 25 years and still ended up without a place going forward. The comments also raised fresh uncertainty over whether one of England’s best-known fast bowlers will play on elsewhere or finally retire.
Lancashire Exit Details
Anderson’s Lancashire ties run deep. He played for his boyhood club for 25 years and captained them in the 2026 County Championship.
His numbers remained strong. Anderson took 50 wickets at an average of 17 in the season, even as Lancashire continued to struggle in Division Two.
That made the release harder to take. A veteran who led the side and topped it with the ball still found himself edged out as the club looked for a new direction.
Podcast Admission
Anderson laid out the moment in detail on the Tailenders podcast. “I went in for what I thought was a conversation about how the team moves forward," Anderson said on the Tailenders podcast.
He then described how quickly that meeting changed. “It wasn’t a great year for the team. Being captain I thought it was chat about that. A couple of minutes in I realised it wasn’t a conversation. I was being told they thought the best way for the team to move forward was without me. I was quite shocked. It was quite brief," Anderson said.
The shock fed his doubts. “All of the way through the season myself and the head coach were like ‘is it something we are doing? Could we be doing more to help the team?’" Anderson said.
He said the decision deepened those thoughts and brought back memories of his England exit. “I finished the season thinking ‘was it something I did? Was I doing something wrong?’ – and then I get this news. Now I am thinking that even more. I am thinking ‘this is happening again. Is there something fundamentally wrong with me as a person?’ Your head just sort of races," Anderson said.
Future Uncertain
His future is now unclear. Anderson recently became the co-owner of an Italian T10 team, but he is still unsure whether his playing career is over.
He made clear where he had hoped it would end. “I wanted to see my career out with Lancs. I don’t know if my career is done, we will have to wait and see, but it would be nice at some point if someone would let me retire," Anderson said.
